Always And Forever
by HuntYangLove
Summary: This is a Crowen Fanfic, and it's my first one so I will be pleased if you guys were lenient. It takes place right after the episode 14 of season 10, I hope you'll enjoy it ! Please leave a review, it will help me a lot if I know what you think ;)
1. Chapter 1 : Decisons, Decisions

**Chapter One : Decisions, Decisions... **

Cristina opened her eyes and was blinded by the sunlight that came through the window of... Of...of where ?... She suddenly looked around as she didn't even know where she was... She felt some strong arms wrapped around her so she turned her head on the left to see who was the man who was holding her and then she gasped... _"OWEN!"._.. And then all the memories of what happened last night came back to her mind... The talk at Meredith's, the wine, the visit at Owen's trailer, the drinks, the talk with Owen and then the kiss...

"Oh no no no ! Oh crap, this is wrong, this is so wrong !" She began to panic.

She tried to get out of bed without waking Owen up, she moved his arms carefully and she got up. Cristina was busy to look for her underwear and clothes so she didn't even noticed that Owen was standing up right behind her, smiling..

"Going somewhere ?" He asked,

"Oh my god Owen ! You scared me !" She yelled, "Yes I'm going home, I need to take a shower and change my clothes before I go to work, and... I need an aspirin.. My head hurts so much..." She said as she rubbed her forehead.

"Well, I think I know the reason" Owen said pointing at the bottle of wine which was on the counter, "l going to make some coffee." He looked over at her and saw she was completely dressed and ready to go "What are..." He started to ask but she interrupted him "Owen I really need to go, we shouldn't have done this... See you later at work." And then she left.

Later at work, Meredith saw Cristina in the hallways and started to talk "Bloody hell ! You look like crap !" Cristina shushed her "Not so loud Mer, my head is about to explode..."

"Well, I can see that! Is it because of our girl night that you have such a hangover ?!" She asked with a quizzical look.

"No Mer... I mean yeah I think it is but not only... I screwed up Mer, I really screwed up..." She moaned.

"What ? Why ?... Oh I see.. you had sex with a guy hadn't you !?" Meredith said smiling, "Not any guy Meredith... I slept with Owen..."Cristina looked at Meredith to gauge her reaction and it turned out that she was kind of shocked

"You what ?! Cristina ! What is wrong with you ?! She scolded

"Oh please Mer, don't ! We were drunk.. Well, I was drunk but I'm pretty sure he was drunk too ! I know it was a mistake so don't make any comment about it anymore please, I just needed to tell someone..." Cristina said firmly

"Oh ok... But I bet that is how you drank the bottle of wine you stole from Derek's wine fridge yesterday, you will have to replace it Cristina, he was really upset about that..." Meredith said, laughing

"I'm sorry Mer, I promise I will !" She started laughing too but then she heard her pager. It was Arizona, "911" she could read on the screen. Cristina knew exactly what was going on, the baby they found in a box outside the hospital earlier was crashing and Robins needed her. She waved at Meredith "See you later !" and started to run.

* * *

Meanwhile, Owen was in the conference room, trying to work on the hospital budget, but he was a bit absent-minded. He couldn't help but thinking about what happened yesterday between him and Cristina... _Her hands through his hair, when he touched her hand, then her chin, their kiss, her lips, her taste, her breath, her smell_.. He had wanted it to happen so much before but now that it was done, it sounded wrong... They were drunk, he knew that he was completely aware of what he was doing and but he wasn't quite sure that Cristina was as aware as he was. So he was feeling like he took an advantage on her. On the other hand he knew that he did a terrible thing towards Emma, he cheated on her...Yesterday they were talking about moving in together and have kids and now he had cheated on her but what bothered him most was that he wasn't really feeling guilty about it. He had to make a decision about what he was going to do...On the one hand he wanted to have children so did Emma, and on the other hand, his heart belonged to Cristina, the love of his life, the only woman he had ever loved and he knew that he wanted her as the mother of his children, but that was the point, Cristina didn't want to have a baby and that was the reason they got divorced. He sighed..

At that precise moment , Emma who came in the room quietly, hugged him from behind, kissed his neck and rested her chin on his shoulder and asked "Why are you sighing honey ? Is there something wrong ?" He turned his head to peck her on the cheek"Nope, I'm just tired of all of that paperwork but that's ok!" He said trying to be convincing.

"Ok good ! Hey listen !" She sat on the table next to him and seemed to be a little bit less comfortable "Maybe it's not the right time to talk about it, maybe you'll think it's a little bit precipitated but I was thinking about what we've discussed yesterday about moving in together and have kids and you know, maybe we could chose a house with several bedrooms, like three ! Or four ! I want to have three kids and maybe I could just quit my job to be with them until they all go to school ! So what do you think ?" She said that in one breathe, she was really excited.

Owen was taken aback, he didn't see that coming, he was disturbed by the fact that she was ready to give up her job to raise their children, at this moment his head was burning and was about to explode but he knew exactly what he was going to do, he had made his decision. He took her hands and said raucously "Emma, we need to talk..."


	2. Chapter 2 : We Need To Talk

**Chapter two : We need to talk **

Emma knew something was wrong, she suddenly regretted that she told him what she was thinking, maybe he was freaking out now, "oh I'm such an idiot" she thought, she took a big breath and said anxiously "Owen what is it ?"

He got up and faced her "Emma, I'm really sorry for what I'm going to say, but I need you to know that you deserve someone better than me..." He said.

Her heart was pounding in her chest, she pulled off her hands from his "What ?" her voice cracked.

Owen closed his eyes, sighed, then looked at her straight in the eyes and said "Emma, I want to put an end to our relationship, I'm so sorry..." Yes, he was, he was sorry for her because he knew she didn't deserve that, she was a good person and he was hurting her, he was sad for her.

"Owen, I don't understand...I don't need an apology, I need an explanation !" She said firmly "Yesterday we were talking about moving in together, having kids and now, now you want to break up ?"

He could see that she was upset but he needed to tell her the truth "I taught I knew what I wanted..." he saw that she started to cry

"Oh what ? The house ? The kids ? Or me ?" She said coldly

"Emma... I'm so so sorry..." he tried to reach her hand but she pushed him away violently "Stop saying that you are sorry Owen !" she yelled at him "Tell me the truth, tell me why you've changed your mind, because the last time I checked which was yesterday, we were on the exact same page and now we're not, what changed ?!"

He had to be honest with her, "Well, I want to come home with someone at night who is equally as passionate about her work.." He started but she interrupted him "I am !", "Emma... You would give up, the surgery, and exchange it for a family..." he continued, "Oh.. That's a problem ?" she asked, her eyes were now full of tears, "No, no, it's amazing ! For you, I want you to have that ! But we want different things..." Owen answered "Oh, so this is me !" she scoffed, "No Emma, it's not you, it's me.. And I'm doing this for you. You deserve a man who will love you the way that a boyfriend or a husband should, and I'm not that person..." he looked at her and she said

"Are you trying to tell me that you don't love me ?"

"No, that is not what I mean, but...the truth is that I still have some feelings for Cristina..I'm sorr..."

She cut him short "I knew it ! You never stopped loving her, don't you ?" Owen didn't know what to say anymore..."Did you slept with her ?" she asked but he didn't answer... "Owen ! Did you have sex with Cristina ?!" She now was screaming

"Yes ! Yes I did !" he finally said

"Ok, When ?" she asked while she was walking all around the room and he said

"Yesterday night..." He was looking at the floor when he said that but when he raised his head he saw her coming towards him quickly and she slapped him. She took her bag and got out of the room, he grabbed her arm and whispered "Emma wait..."

Then she sobbed and screamed "Get off me ! Let me go ! I don't want to see you or hear about you again ! Ever !" He released her and watched her go, he was feeling bad about what happened, he was in the middle of the hallway, and the nurses and the doctors were staring at him with some quizzical looks. He was about to go back to the conference room but when he turned around, he saw her, she was there right in front of him, frozen...

* * *

Cristina has witnessed the whole scene and she wasn't able to speak or to move. All that she could feel was that she wanted to punch him, "What did he do?!" she thought, she gathered her wits and walked quickly towards him, grabbed his white coat sleeve and led him to the conference room and then she closed the door. They were in the middle of the room, staring at each other without speaking for at least five minutes.

"We need to talk !" They said that exactly at the same time, which made him smile, but definitely not Cristina.

"Ok, you go first.." he told her.

"Don't tell me that you two have broken up Owen !?" she threatened him

"I'm sorry Cristina but it seems like we did.. But this is none of your business !" he said on the defensive, he didn't understand why she was so upset about that.

"But She was it Owen !" Cristina screamed

He looked at her and he could see that she was really angry and he didn't know what to say "I don't want to talk about that, it's between her and me, I hurt her and I feel bad so I don't want to talk about it" he said firmly.

"But why did you do that Owen ?"

Now that he had to tell her why, he wasn't sure how to do it... "Do I really have to tell you why ?" He looked at her and she saw the pain and the sadness in his eyes, at this moment she knew why he did it...

"Damn it ! You broke up with her because of what happened at the trailer ?! I can't believe it Owen ! We made a mistake, we were drunk, that didn't mean anything !" she said rising her hands in the air. As she said that, she knew that she had hurt him, and she didn't even think about what she was saying, because what happened last night obviously did mean something to her. She remembered the feelings when he looked at her, the chill down her spine when he touched her chin and when he ran his fingers through her hair, then she knew that she was still in love with him, so of course it did mean something to her but she couldn't admit it.

Owen was taken aback,"Cristina..." he moved forward her and took her hands

"No Owen, we can't let that happen again and again, this is got to stop, I can't give you what you want, I can't..." she said with a lump in her throat.

Then he did something which surprised them both. He lifted her chin, he saw the tears in her eyes and it broke his heart. He took her face and started to kiss her softly. As she kissed him back it became increasingly passional, she opened her mouth to accept his tongue and he kissed her even more. He broke off their kiss but he was still holding her face, he wiped a tear which was running down her cheek and whispered "I love you Cristina... I have always loved you and I always will... So if I can't have a child with you, then I don't want one !"

"Owen..." she started but he put a finger on her lips and he continued " I love you, and... I see you every day and I can't have you.. So, how am I suppose to keep doing this ? Keep working here when, every time I turn around... I see your face..." he stroked her cheek.

"Owen..." But once again she was interrupted but this time it was her pager. "Owen I have to go..."

When she reached the door Owen said desperately "Cristina please, think about it..I love you.."

She didn't look at him and made her way out of the room, she closed the door and said in her turn "I love you too Owen..."


	3. Chapter 3 : My Friend, My Person

**Chapter three : My friend, My person **

Right after she left the room, Cristina started to cry uncontrollably, but she had to gather her wits because she had to do a mitral valve replacement on the mystery baby in a box they found this morning, so she wiped a tears, took a deep breath and ran to the OR 2. Arizona was already there so she scrubbed in and join her in the OR. Arizona looked at Cristina when she came in and could see her red and swollen eyes and she could tell that Cristina had cried. It didn't look like her.

"Oh my god Cristina are you all right ?!" She asked

"Hum.. Yeah I'm fine, let's get started." Cristina answered trying to focus on what she was going to do. The surgery went well, but her mind wasn't in the OR, she was thinking about what happened with Owen and remembered how she felt when he said that he loved her. She didn't even know what to think... Was she happy ? Was she sad ? She didn't know, maybe it was a mixture of both. Her head was a total mess and she only realized she had finished the surgery when Arizona snapped her fingers in front of her and said

"Cristina ! We're done here, we can go now, let's bring back the baby to the recovery room." Arizona was bothered by Cristina's behavior, there was something not quite right about it and she decided to have a word with Meredith as she was the only one who Cristina would talk to.

* * *

Cristina was in the lab trying to work on her trial when she heard the door opening, she turned around and saw Meredith come into the room.

"Hey you !" She told her "What's up ?", Meredith sat on a chair next to her and Cristina saw that she was worried. She raised her eyebrows and asked "Mer, what's wrong ?"

"I'm here to talk Cristina... If you need to talk then I'm here..." She answered

"What ? What are talking about ?" Cristina asked with a quizzical look.

"Listen, Arizona told me that you've been acting really weird in the OR earlier, and that you've cried, so she thought that something was wrong with you, then I'm here to talk so spill the beans ! Is it about Owen ?"

"Yes... He broke up with Emma..." Cristina moaned

"Well, I kinda already knew... Derek told me that she went to the house an our ago to ask for a key to pack her things at the trailer... And that she was really upset... So, I've deduced that they broke up...but you, why are you so upset about it ?" She asked

"Because this is all my fault... He told me that he loved me... He hurt her because of me... Why the hell did I went to his trailer yesterday why ?! If we didn't hook up last night none of this would have happened.. Like I said earlier I screwed up Mer.." She said starting to cry again.

"Oh Cristina I'm so sorry..." Meredith took her hands and squeezed them to comfort her, "What are you gonna do ?.. I mean.. Do you love him too ?"

"Of course I do ! He is the love of my life Mer how could I stop loving him ? Even when he cheated on me I knew deep inside of me that I couldn't blame him because, once again, it was all my fault ! I killed our baby, how can he still be in love with me after what I did to him ? I'm no good for him.. I don't deserve him..and I can't help but love him.. So I don't know what to do Mer ! I really don't know..."

Meredith wiped the tears from Cristina's face and hugged her, she stroked her back until she finally calmed down and whispered in her ear "I'm here Cristina, I'm here"

"I need help.. Mer I need help, and you are going to help me !" Cristina broke off their embrace as she wasn't very cuddly and looked at Meredith straight in the eyes and said "You are going to help me to not go back to him.."

"Cristina what ? No.. No ! I'm definitely not going to do this !" She said firmly

"Why not ?" Cristina asked, she wasn't quite sure to understand Meredith's reaction

"Because I can't ! As your friend, as your person, and as his friend, I can't do that.. I know I didn't always carried him in my heart but I learned to know him better and it turns out that he is good guy Cristina, and I know you, I know you'll regret it one day and the only person who you can lay the blame on will be me, and I can't let that happen ! I'm sorry..." Meredith got up put an hand on Cristina's shoulder and added "I know it's hard for you, for the both of you.. But you should really think about what he told you... Think about it, talk to him, and maybe you'll find a way to get back together and deal with your issues better than before... Trust me Cristina, if you runaway from him you'll regret it" she turned around and opened the door when Cristina said

"Thank you.. Thank you for being honest with me..Maybe..I think I just needed to hear what you said, and it feels good, so thank you for letting me know what you were thinking, you are my friend, you are my person.. I love you Mer !"

"Well, my pleasure Cristina ! I love you too but I think I'm not the one who need to hear that from you for now if you see what I mean.." She said living the lab with a huge smile.

* * *

It's been a week since Owen has declared his love to Cristina, but she was avoiding him as much as possible and he didn't know what to do anymore... The dice were cast and it was up to her. He had been in the OR all day and when he sat on his chair in the conference room he could feel how exhausted he was. He decided to take a nap when he noticed the stack of mails on the table. He sighed and began to open the envelopes. There was nothing really important but when he read the last one, his heart was pounding in his chest. He was nervous, but excited. He ran out of the room and started to look for her.. When he finally spotted her, he couldn't help but smile, this time she will have to face him, she had no choice.


	4. Chapter 4 : Expecting The Call

**Chapter four : Expecting the call**

Cristina had finished her shift and was on her way to go home when someone grabbed her arm and led her to the conference room. It was Owen. As he closed the door she turned around and asked

"Owen, what the hell are you doing ? Why am I here ?"

He reached the table, and said "Cristina you should have a seat..."

"Why am I here ? Why didn't you page me ?"

"Cristina... You've been avoiding me the entire week, so I knew that if I paged you, you would probably not came... So sit down and listen to me I have something very important to tell you !" He said firmly.

Cristina did what she was told to and noticed that Owen seemed a little peeved. "Well, I'm all ears, tell me" she was a little bit anxious now.

She watched him taking out a letter from his pocket and holding it out to her. She took it when he said "Cristina, this letter is from Catherine Avery, it was for me, but I thought that I have to tell you that... you are on the nominees list for the Harper Avery Award 2014 !" He was really excited for her and he saw that she was too but he knew that she wouldn't show it that much. To tell the truth, she was stunned...

"Oh am I ? Really ?" She asked and he nodded, smiling.

"Yeah ! Read the letter, well... it's not official as yet, you are 10 on that list for now, and the official one is cut by half, but I wanted you to know that you might be nominated."

Cristina read the entire letter, smiling, she looked at Owen and asked "Oh ok ! And when will I know if I'm on the final list ?"

"You will get a call, tomorrow at 8:00 am." He answered

"Ok thank you so much Owen ! Well, I don't want to get too excited because if I don't get the call tomorrow I'll be disappointed.. So I don't want to make any fuss about it, so can I ask you to keep it for yourself for now please ?" She asked with a grin as she got up.

"Hum.. Yes ! Sure ! I think I can do that !" He said walking around the table to come on her side, "Can I ask you something too Cristina ?", she nodded, "Can I be the first one who will know ?" He asked shyly

"Hum.. Yes ! Sure ! I think I can do that too !" She answered with a huge smile.

Owen came closer and hugged her whispering "Thank you.." His lips brushed her ear which made her shivering, she felt so good every time she was in his arms. She rested her head against his chest and hugged him back for a minute. Owen was surprised that she hugged him back, he buried his face in her hair and smelled her scent. He felt like he was in heaven. He wanted to kiss her but, he thought that it wouldn't be appropriate. Then, she broke off their embrace and lifted her head to look at him and said "I have to go now.."

He brushed her hair back behind her ear and murmured "Congratulations Cristina, I'm really happy for you.." She smiled at him and said "Well, thank you but you know, I didn't win yet so.."

"Oh I'm sure you will, I really do.." He interrupted her,

"We'll see..." She laughed and then she left the room.

* * *

The next morning Owen was extremely nervous, he tried to find Cristina, she should have started her shift an hour ago, but no one had seen her as yet. "What is she doing ?!" He said out loud, she should have been at the hospital by now, it was 8:10 am and he was worried, not seeing her around as she had to get a call from Boston this morning. "Where the hell is she ?!", he asked again and again to the nurses, he paged her, but nothing, she had disappeared.

At this moment, an idea came to his mind, he took the stairs and made his way to the hospital basement, he opened the second door on the right, and he finally found her, sitting on the floor, in the vent... "There you are ! Cristina it's been an hour that I'm looking for you in the entire hospital, what are you doing here, are you ok ?" She raised her head and looked at him so I could see that she was crying. He rushed towards her, crouched in front of her, grabbed her face and said "Hey, hey, hey, why are you crying Cristina ?" He was worried, and feel sad because he thought that she had a bad call.. "What did they tell you ? Cristina talk to me please !"

"Owen , I don't know... I didn't get the call yet, and that's why I'm crying... I know it's so stupid but I can't help but cry.. When you told me yesterday I was nominated, I felt really happy and excited but now, now that I'm waiting for them to call me, I feel really bad... Why didn't they call yet Owen ? What if they won't ?!" She was really anxious and she needed him to comfort her.

He sat on the floor beside her, put his arm around and pulled her close to him, she rested her head on his shoulder while he was rubbing her back. When she calmed down he said "Cristina, it's only 8:45 am, maybe they will call later. You have to be patient and wait for it.. I know it's hard but I warned you that there might be a risk that you wouldn't be on the nominees final list... And if it's the case, well, I know you will be disappointed, but you'll have to move forward and who knows, maybe next year, it will be yours...you know what ? I'm going to wait with you" Cristina was feeling more relaxed now, Owen's soft voice helped it.

She raised her head, looked at him and thanked him. He kissed her on her forehead and they just stayed here, in each other's arms without saying a word. Both were just enjoying each other presence remembering all what happened in this room. Twenty minutes later, Cristina's phone rang... She got up and started to panic "Oh my god Owen it's them ! It's them !" She yelled.

He laughed and tried to cool her off "Cristina calm down, take a deep breath and answer that damn phone !"

Cristina did what she was told to and tried to have a confident voice. While she was speaking, Owen could see the sparks in her eyes, he deduced that she got the nomination and he was so happy for her.

When she hung up the phone she screamed "I'm nominated Owen !"

"That's wonderful Cristina ! I'm so happy for you and proud of you and, I was sure you were going to be on that list !" He took at step forward and grabbed her hands and they stood here, a while, staring and smiling at each other. He wanted to kiss her so much but he didn't dare to do it, he didn't want to push her.

She broke the silence first when she said "Well, I think I kept my promise, you are the first one who knows, but now it's official, I have to tell Meredith, and Alex !" He nodded and watched her go, but she suddenly went back to him, grabbed his neck, pressed her lips against his and they started to kiss passionately.

She took a few steps back and said, smiling "I have to go, I have to go..." And then she left.


	5. Chapter 5 : Speeches

**Chapter five : Speeches**

**I'm sorry for this late update but I do not have much time so I'm doing my best ! Anyway, hope you like this story, leave a review to let me know what do you think ! :)**

Cristina told Meredith and Alex about her nomination, who talked to Derek, Jo, Arizona and Callie, and now, every person who worked at the hospital and that she met in the hallways came up to congratulate her. She smiled politely and thanks them back at the begging but it was getting on her nerves now. She didn't want to make a fuss as she hadn't win yet... She wanted to hide herself for a while to escape to those congratulations, so she headed back to the vent.

She stood up above the grid, and let the gust of wind clears her mind. She remembered she did the same thing the first time Owen brought her here, and it felt good. Then she remembered what she did earlier right after she got the call, before she left the vent, when she kissed Owen. She didn't know what to think about that, she thought she did it because of her excitement because she didn't make her decision yet, but she figured out that Owen would probably take that as a "yes". She knew that she needed to take a decision but she was just not ready, and she had to focus on The Harper Avery. Meredith told her that she had to write her acceptance speech and that was exactly what she was going to do.

Fortunately, the conference room was empty, she took a seat and started to think about what she was supposed to say. It has been an hour and a half she was working on it but nothing came to her mind... She was desperate... She was going to give up but at this moment, Owen came into the room. He was surprised but pleased to see her here.

"Hey you ! What are you doing here ? Hiding ?" He asked, with a grin since he was aware that the entire hospital knew about Cristina's nomination and that everyone was talking about it.

"Yeah... Kind of... But I'm also trying to write my speech but I don't even know what I'm supposed to say... It driving me nuts..." She pouted.

"Oh, I see, well... Maybe you can describe yourself, talk about your career pathway, how much you care about your work, etc... I think that is the kind of things we are supposed to say in those situations.." He said.

"Are you kidding me ?" She laughed, "Me ? Talking about myself ? I don't think I'll be able to do that !"

"Oh come on Cristina ! There is so much to say !" He said, he came to sit beside her and she could see that he was more excited than she was. Maybe he was right, maybe she could say a lot about her but she didn't know what.

She suddenly got an idea, she turned around to face him and said "Ok so go on ! Describe me !"

He looked a little puzzled "hum... What ?!"

"Yeah ! You know me better than anyone else, so as my friend I'm asking you to describe me and I'll make my choice, what to keep or not ! Can you do that ?" She said with a huge smile, she could see that Owen's face has changed, but she didn't get why...

Owen was taken aback by the fact that she considered him as her "friend", she just kissed him like five hours ago but she called him her "friend", and now she wanted him to describe her, he was totally lost... He cleared his throat he started to speak again

"Hum.. Well, I think that if I have to describe you as your _friend_..." He said that word growling, but she didn't even noticed it, "I would say that you are... Smart, that is obvious, that you are passionate and dedicated to your work, that... You know what you want about your career, that you are funny but that you can be very stubborn and... Selfish sometimes..." She laughed when he said that. She thought that was all he was going to say but he added "This how I would describe you as a friend, but you know what ? I don't want people to think that you're just that smart, funny, hard working and stubborn girl because you're not as ordinary as that... So let me tell you how I would talk about you the way I really know you..." He paused, to see how she would react, but she said nothing so he continued "I would say that you're a talented woman who has gold instead of hands, that you're absolutely brilliant which makes you an amazing surgeon, that you also have a heart which is capable to love and to care, that you can have feelings so you are not a robot like most of people think you are... I would add that you are quite easy-going as you doesn't care to cook so I can do it for you, also because you doesn't care to get out of bed when it's not a work day which makes me laugh when I think about it, that you are fragile and delicate when you sleep so soundly and peacefully that I have to check you pulse sometimes... You are... Understanding, as you suffered and understand suffering. I don't, i mean.. I didn't even have to say a word you just looked at me and saw who I was and how I felt, and you just accepted that, you didn't try to change it, you didn't want to change it ... I would finally say that there is a billion people out there but I imagine, that there is only one Cristina Yang..." He was staring at her while he was speaking and he saw that her eyes were full of tears and that she was fighting to hold them back. There were so many things that he wanted tell her but instead, he caressed her cheek, wiped the tear that just dropped on his hand and left the room.

Cristina burst into tears, she allowed her to cry for about fifteen minutes and then she took a new piece of paper and wrote down her speech. Now she knew exactly what to say.

The day has come, in less than an hour Cristina would face her future. She was in the lockers room, staring at her in the mirror, adjusting her dress. Her beauty was breathtaking, her hair was up which revealed her bare shoulders and her neck. She was wearing a long purple strapless dress which fit her perfectly. She put some lipstick, took a deep breath and said to herself "You can do it Cristina, you are Cristina Yang so you can do it... Alone.." Yes, she was going to do it alone. Owen and Meredith have expressed their willing to be by her side during the ceremony but she refused, she didn't know why, but she wanted to do this alone. Only Jackson will be there as an Avery and as the chief of the hospital. There was a knock at the door and Meredith came in

"Oh my, Cristina you look beautiful ! I know you want to do this alone but I didn't want to let you go before I told what I'm going to tell you... Cristina I'm so proud of you.. Really.. I know things have been really bad between us lately, but I wanted you to know that I'm totally over it. It was so stupid. I realize that I was jealous of you... I envied you..."

"You what ? Mer you have the perfect life ! You have a husband who loves you, you have two beautiful babies and you are an excellent surgeon ! I should envy you..." Cristina said, not quite sure to understand why Meredith would say that.

"Yeah.. I know ! But the point is that you have the career that we have ever wanted.. You succeed in what we wanted... I made choices, which I'm happy that I made them, but I feel like I'm stuck with this life forever.. I failed with my trial and I don't know what to do anymore..."

Cristina came to her and hugged her tightly, which surprised the both of them, and said to Meredith "Mer.. I'm so glad that you told me that...But I don't know what to say to cheer you up... I know it's unfair, but I'm just as jealous of you as you are of me you know... I mean.. Look at what my life looks like outside the hospital, I'm nothing without the surgery.. I know I have made some choices too but sometimes, I kind of regret them.. I'm talking about Owen... At least you still have Derek, you are not alone.. I am..."

Meredith broke off their embrace and held Cristina's face in her hands and said "No Cristina you are not alone... I'm here, I'm your person... And about Owen, I think you can still fix things between the two of you... He told you that he still loves you right ? So I think it's up to you now, the ball is in your court..."

"I know Mer.. I know..." Cristina look at her watch and gasped "Oh my god I'm late, I'm really late I have to go !" She kissed Meredith on the cheek and ran out of the room saying "See you later ! Wish me luck !" But she didn't wait for Meredith to answer, she was gone.

Owen was in the lobby, reading a chart when he saw Cristina rushing out of the hospital. He called her but it seemed that she didn't hear him. He sighed, took a look at his watch and smiled, his shift just ended. "That is what I call a perfect timing" he said cheerfully. He went to change his clothes and headed to his car.

Cristina entered the room and spotted Jackson, he waved at her and she made a beeline towards him. "Hey Jackson I'm glad you're here, I'm quite nervous actually... I wanted to do this alone but I'm not sure this is a good idea anymore" she said nervously

"Don't worry Cristina, I'm here, and everything is going to be alright, trust me." He said, trying to be comforting "Now, let's just take a seat"

The ceremony began with all the formalities, Catherine Avery's speech, the announcement of the nominees, etc... There were a lot of applause, and cheering, but Cristina didn't really paid attention until Catherine Avery called Jackson. He went on stage and took his place behind the microphone

"Good evening ladies and gentleman, most of you already know that I'm Jackson Avery, Catherine's son, I'm the Chief of Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital and I would like to say that I feel really proud and honored to be here tonight to announced that this year, the Harper Avery Award goes to..."

Cristina was really surprised that it was Jackson who would present the prize, he didn't tell her anything, "What does this mean ?" She thought

"Dr Yang ?... Cristina ?" Jackson said, she was lost in thought but when she heard her name she looked around and saw that everyone was staring at her, smiling and applauding. "Did I win ?" She thought, she glanced at Jackson who was waving her to come on stage. Yes she did, she won...

She went on stage, Jackson handed her her award and kissed her on the cheek saying "Congratulations Cristina !" She knew she had to speak now but she felt so weak, she was nervous, as she went to the microphone, she felt like she was going to faint. She suddenly wanted to see one person more than anyone else, but she remembered that she had told him that she didn't want him to come. She felt sorry for herself, she grabbed the desk, took a look at the audience and started to say

"Wow ! Thank you.. Hum... I'm.. Very honored.. Hum" she mumbled,

"Gosh, this is humiliating, come on Cristina.. Pull yourself together, you are ridiculous" she told herself. Then she looked again a the audience, then she saw him. He was here, he came, despite the fact she told him not to. When he caught her eyes, Owen smiled to Cristina, her heart was pounding in her chest and it appeased her, it restored her confidence, she smiled back at him and started to speak again

"Well, I'm really thanks full, this means so much to me. Today, I feel complete. This award is the best recognition that I could ever have for my research. I put a lot of myself into this trial, into my career since I became a doctor. When I say a lot, it's not an euphemism... I almost lost my closest friend, I have sacrificed my marriage, I've lost my husband, I've lost a lot but today I won. Today I achieved my goal, and I'm grateful for this..." When she was speaking, she was staring at Owen the whole time, but when she mentioned their marriage, she saw him turning around and walking away... She felt the tears running down her cheeks, she wanted to stop him, she wanted to run after him but now she couldn't... "Thank you !" She said in a breath and she made her way down the stage.

Owen was driving home, really fast, he didn't know if it was raining outside or if it was his tears, but he couldn't see the road. He felt so hurt when Cristina said that she had sacrificed their marriage, and that she had lost her husband. She hadn't lost him, since he told her that he still loved her. But now he had the feeling that he had lost her. When he arrived at the trailer, he pulled his car and rushed inside, he sat on the bed and cried his eyes out.

About an hour later, there were violent knocks at the door, Owen was wondering who it could be, he wasn't really in the mood to talk but he got up, he opened the door and he gasped.

Cristina was there, right in front of him, soaked to the bones, because it was actually raining cats and dogs, she was crying and she said

"Owen I'm sorry, I'm so sorry for everything I made you endure but... Owen I love you ! You're the love of my life, and it's stupid, just stupid for me to keep pretending.. I want to be with you for the rest of my life, it's as simple as that.. I love you.."

Owen was taken aback, "What ? What did you just say ?" He couldn't believe it..

"Owen I said I love you, I can't breath without you, I love you..." Then she wrapped her arms around his neck and crushed her lips against his. He grabbed her waist and pulled her closer to him and kissed her back, deeply.


	6. Chapter 6 : Finding our way back

**Chapter six : Finding our way back**

**Again, sorry for this late update. This is the first time I write this kind of scene so please be lenient ;) leave a review ! **

* * *

Owen closed the door holding Cristina in his arms, her legs wrapped around his waist and her arms around his neck. They were still kissing each other when Owen finally put her down. They both stared at each other for a moment, and then they started undressing each other. She unbuttoned his shirt while he unzipped her dress which slip to the floor. She pulled off his pants and here they were, standing in their underwear. He touched her face and gently caressed her cheek. He led his own fingers to her lips, then she grabbed his and started to kiss it. She reached his lips, he took her in his arms and they both fell on to the bed. He was on top of her and started to ran his fingers all over her body.

"Do you know how much I've missed the smoothness and the perfection of your skin ?" Owen asked as he bent his head to kiss her forehead, then he kissed her nose, her cheeks, and he lingered on her mouth. His hands reached her bra and he unbuckled it. His mouth was on her neck and he felt that she was nibbling his ear lobe, so he bit her, perfectly aware that it was going to leave a hickey but he didn't care. Cristina giggled and whispered in his ear "Oh.. I've missed you too..." She kissed his neck too and wrapped her leg around him and she could feel him hardening against her. He slipped off her panties and pulled down his boxer briefs, she grinned as she look at him down there "Hmmm... Well, now I can see how ready you are..." She said stroking his hair.

"Yes I'm, but this will have to wait a little bit more, I have a few things to do first" he teased, then he started kissing her all over from her neck, her breast, he took her nipples in his mouth and felt them hardening under his tongue. He kissed her stomach and he continued his way down. He began to rub her clit and working his tongue into her. He could hear her moaning and as she started to move her hips to meet his mouth he knew she was about to climaxed. She ran her fingers through his hair, screamed his name and quivered when she finally came.

"Oh... I didn't remember you were such a screamer !" He said as he came up and kissed her.

She could taste herself on his lips and it turned her on even more, she grabbed his face, looked at him straight in the eyes and said "Owen, please now.. I can't wait anymore.."

He didn't need to be told twice, he looked at her as he entered her and they both gasped. He could feel her tiny wet walls circling his hard member. He started to thrust slowly first then he speeded up the rhythm. Their body were one, they moved synchronically, she pushed her hips up so he could get deeper inside her. They reached the highest level of ecstasy and they came, together. He let out a huge moan as he released himself inside her, and she sticked her nails into his back. It hurt a little bit but he thought that it was totally worth it, at least he was going to have his love mark too.

He rested on top of her, burying his face in her neck as she wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly. She was touching his bare back from top to bottom with her right hand fingertips while her left hand was stroking his hair, which made him shivered. She felt it and kissed him on the top of the head giggling.

"I would stay like this forever... It feels so good to have you in my arms again" she said

Owen raised his head to look at her "Well, I've been waiting for you for a while now, you should have come sooner !" He said laughing, he bent his head to kiss her and they started to make love again.

* * *

The next day, Owen opened his eyes and smiled at the scene he had in front of him. Cristina's head was against his chest, she had her arm on his stomach and one leg on one of his. It was the best morning he ever had in a while, in fact it was the best night he ever had in a while too, he thought. Cristina was still asleep and he contemplated her for a moment, savoring this feeling of well-being, then he gently caressed her bare shoulders, whispering her name to wake her up.

"Cristina..."

"Hmmm..." She groaned

"Cristina you have to wake up, you have to go to work." He said chuckling as he noted that she was still not a morning person.

"Hmmm... No.. This is my day off... I don't have to move..." She mumbled, her mouth crushed against him.

"Oh really ? What a coincidence I'm on my day off too... Well, I think it will let us some time to do something today ! What do you want to do ?" He asked, thinking that they could go out to grab something to eat for lunch, take a walk or go to the movies.

Since Cristina knew he wasn't going to allow her to sleep anymore, she figured out that she had no choice but to answer him. But she suddenly felt playful, she was itching to tease him a little bit.

She began move her hand on his stomach, drawing circles, and trying to act like she was thinking.

"Well... I don't know, I'm quite still asleep for now..." Then she moved her hand down there and started to stroke his member "but maybe, you can do something for that... Maybe you can help to wake me up and when I will be awake, I'll tell you what I want to do of my day... Is that ok for you ?" She said turning her face with a smile.

Owen took her face in his hands and kissed her "You know that you are irresistible when you do that ? Of course I'll help you !"

Then Cristina rolled over her back and let him do whatever he wanted to do with her. When they both climaxed, they lay in each other's arms, intertwining their fingers. They stayed quite for a while then Cristina broke the silence.

"Owen ?..." She asked shyly

"Yes ? What is it ?"

"Are you... Are you sure you're ok with this ?" She said caressing his cheek

He paused for a second not quite sure to understand, but he took her face his hands and said "Oh yes I'm.. I am !" He reached her mouth and kissed her but she gently pushed him away and said

"No no no, not this !" She sighed and added "Us... Being.. Just us..."

"What do you mean Cristina ?" He asked with a quizzical look

"Well, I didn't change my mind you know, about what I want and what I don't want... I know that you want kids but..."

"Cristina I already told you that if having kids means that I can't have you, then I don't want to !" He interrupted her

"Owen I don't believe you ! People who wants kids doesn't stop wanting them like that ! Don't give up things for me !"

"But I'm not ! You know what ? I don't wanna talk about that... Not right now.. Not when I'm here, with the love of my life naked in my arms for the first time in months, let me just enjoy this moment..."

"But Owen we'll have to talk about that... And..." She started giggling "Technically that is not the first time in months... Do I have to remind you that we slept together like... 3 or 4 weeks ago ?"

"Haha you're right !" he laughed "I know we'll have to talk but I think we have find our way back to each other first... I mean emotionally, because that's obvious that we did not have any problems to reconnect physically, well, this never has been a problem I think..." They both laughed, then he touch her face, staring at her and said softly "Anyway, I want you to know that I love you more than anything else, and that I don't do the same mistake twice... I mean three times.." He chuckled "I've already let you go three times and I swear, I swear that it will never happen again..."

"I love you too Owen"


	7. Chapter 7 : Surprises

**Chapter Seven : Surprise**

**I'm so sorry guys.. I didn't update this story in ages ! I had my finals so I didn't have time but now that I'm on summer break I'll be writing more often :) I hope you'll like it and again, please leave a review I like to read them !**

* * *

Owen and Cristina spent their day off together, chatting, laughing, kissing, eating, making love, and enjoying each other presence. By the end of the day, Owen reluctantly drove her home, she had to change her clothes because she was still wearing the dress she wore the day before for the Harper Avery ceremony. She figured out she would have to explain to Alex why, when she will step in the house, plus, she hadn't called him to let him know that she wasn't going home yesterday night so maybe he was a little anxious too and he was probably going to yell at her she thought. When Owen parked the car in front of Alex's house, he glanced at her and saw she was in her thoughts.

"Cristina ? You're home.." He said

She turned her head, looked at him straight in the eyes and said shyly "Yes I know... I just don't want to get out of the car.."

Owen reached her hand and squeezed it "Hey I don't want you to leave either but you'll have to ! You definitely can't go to work dressed like that tomorrow" he said chuckling. Then he moved his hand to grab the back of her neck and pulled her face closer to his and leaned down to kiss her lips. He kissed her softly first but she kissed him back more passionately. She parted her lips so he could entered her mouth with his tongue. She grabbed his face with her hands and started to ran her fingers through his hair while his hands made their way down her back, on her waist, he hugged her tightly and they kissed. As Cristina could feel her desire increasing more and more, she stopped and pulled away staring at him.

"I...I..I think I should go now..." She said breathless

"Yes I think you should..." He said smiling, "I'll see you tomorrow at work, have a good night."

She sighed and open the car door but before she got out, she gave him one more kiss making it last longer than she wanted then she said smiling "Thanks for today, I couldn't have imagined a better celebration for my Harper Avery, it was perfect..."

"Well, I'm glad you enjoyed it as much as I did ! Congratulations Cristina, I'm proud of you."

"Thank you.. Well, see you tomorrow then ! I'm looking forward to it... Have a good night too" She said as she winked at him. Then she finally got out of the car and made her way to the door-step, before she step in the house she turned around and mouthed him "I love you" and she disappeared closing the door.

Owen was about to mouthed her back that he loved her too but instead he said it out loud "I love you Cristina" then he drove back to his trailer, smiling, thinking about what happened in less than 24h. He was totally over the moon.

* * *

Cristina had closed the door very carefully, trying to not let Alex know that she was home, but when she put her feet on the first step of the stairs she heard

"CRISTINA ! Where the hell have you been ?!" Alex yelled at her

She turned around to face him "First of all young man, I would ask you to low your voice, you have no right to yell at me like that !"

"You didn't answered my question Cristina... Where have you been ? I was worried about you ! I thought for a second that maybe you didn't win the Harper Avery and that you did something really stupid... But you did win, didn't you ?" He asked anxiously.

"Of course I did ! I'm Cristina Yang !" She answered laughing

Alex let out a sigh of relief and came to hug her "Congratulations Cristina !"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah thank you..." She said awkwardly when she broke off their embrace. Other than Owen, she was not used to hug people.

Alex stared at her and noticed that she was still wearing her ceremony dress, but he mainly noticed the hickey on Cristina's neck which made him smile.

"At least you won but I can see that you did some stupid things too... Is that a hickey ? Who was that lucky guy ?" He asked teasing her

"Mind your own business !" She told him back defiantly as she run upstairs straight to her room.

She loved Alex, they became really good friend over the past few years and she usually would tell him everything but not this... Not now... She wanted to keep it for herself for now. She took a quick shower, changed into her pajamas and then lay down on her bed. She reminded her every single moment of the night before and earlier in the day, every kisses, every touches, every looks, everything... She hugged her pillow and fell asleep dreaming about him. Yes she had made the right decision.

* * *

The next day, they saw each other several times, they would possibly smile at each other but they stayed very professional. By the end of the day, Cristina was updating her charts at the nurse station when Owen came behind her and whispered in her ear "Quick consult Dr Yang ?"

She looked at him and giggled "As soon as I will finish this, I'll be all yours Dr Hunt !"

Cristina handed her charts to the nurse, who was shaking her head at the scene she just witnessed, Owen put his hand on her back and led her to the nearest on-call room. He locked the door and they started to make out again.

Cristina rested her head on Owen's chest and sighed "I hope no one have seen us earlier..."

"What ? Why ?" Owen asked puzzled

"Well, I would like to keep it for ourselves for a while... You know, secret meetings, stolen glances, flirting, etc, I think it's kinda more exciting... Don't you ?" She asked

"Yeah.. I bet it is.. And I like the idea of you and me acting like we were teenagers again" he said laughing, "but tell me when you're ready to let people know because I also like the idea of me kissing you whenever I want and to show people that I love you..." He added kissing the top of her head.

"Ok I will, I promise"

* * *

They kept their little secret for about two months, they would meet on the on-call room at night or Cristina would stay over at Owen's at least twice a week, they would spend their day off together, sometimes she would remind him when he was crossing the line, but he enjoyed it so much to see her blushing and getting embarrassed whenever he would compliment her in front of their colleagues, it was so endearing he thought. They were happy, their life was perfect, they were definitely back together, they loved each other, they didn't talk about the future for now because they thought it was to soon. They were consuming their love and passion, out of sight, and that was enough. Little did they know that there was someone in the hospital who was totally aware of what was going on between the two of them...

* * *

Cristina was walking alone in the hallways when Meredith joined her "Hey stranger !" She told Cristina.

"Uh ? Stranger ? What's wrong with you Mer ?" Cristina asked rising an eyebrow

"Well, it's been at least three weeks that we didn't even shared a lunch Cristina... You've disappeared... I called you yesterday but you didn't answer... As usual..."

"Hum..." She cleared her throat trying to find a reasonable excuse "Look Mer, I'm sorry but I was really really busy with my trial lately, I've been working really hard on it... So I'm sorry.. but hey why did you call me ?"

Meredith scoffed "I was calling you to plan a girl night to FINALLY celebrate your Harper Avery even if you don't want to, but hey don't you even try to change the subject Cristina... And don't you dare to try to fool me with your trial story because I'm perfectly aware about what's going on between you and Owen !"

Cristina was taken aback "Wha-? How ?"

"Oh come on Cristina ! I know you better than anyone else, I can see when you're sad, when you're happy, when you're upset and now, all that I can say is that you are in love... I was just wondering when you were going to tell me..."

Cristina didn't know what to say to her anymore, except that they wanted to keep it for themselves for a while and she apologized one more time. "Promise me you won't tell anyone please, it's.. too soon.." She said

"If you say so.. ok I won't.. But I'm pretty sure people will know before you let them to ! They just have to see the way you guys look at each other and Owen's goofy smile whenever you're in the room..." Meredith elbowed Cristina, laughing.

They were about to turn on the right when Cristina heard a very familiar voice. She stopped walking, stood up right there in the middle of the hallway, frozen...

"Well, thank you Richard, nice to see you again. Could you please let me know when Dr Hunt will be out of surgery ? We have to talk about something.." The man said

_"No... This voice... This steady arrogant tone... That can't be.. Why would he be here ?..."_ Cristina thought, her hands was shaking now, she didn't feel good at all, she wanted to run as fast as she could, hide herself, find Owen, be protected, but... instead, she took a deep breath, and turn around...

"Cristina ? What are you... ?" Meredith asked, confused she turned around too and then she gasped. They were now facing _him_, the guy they both hated more than anyone else...

"Burke.." Cristina whispered


	8. Chapter 8 : Burke

**Chapter 8 : Burke**

**First of all, I would like to thank everyone who send me all those kind and sweets reviews/messages I really appreciate. This chapter is waaaay longer than the others, I don't know why but obviously I had a lot of things to say ! Hope you'll enjoy it and reviews are still welcomed ;)**

* * *

"Burke..." She whispered

Preston Burke was standing right in front of her, not able to speak. He knew that he would have to speak to her, in fact, he was here to speak to her, but he thought he would have more time to get ready for this, and that he would have done it in Dr Hunt's presence, which would have appeased the hostility and the awkwardness of the situation. But here he was, facing her. He had to say something. They were staring at each other and all that he could observe on Cristina's face was... surprise yes, but mainly anger and grudge. Clearly, she was still mad at him... He took a deep breath, gathered is thoughts and took a few step forward to get closer to her. "_I am Preston Burke after all!"_ He thought, his arrogance coming out on top.

"Well, well, well... Dr Cristina Yang !" He said with a forced smile. "So nice to see you again" he added, offering her his hand to shake but the only answer he got, was Cristina contemptuously turning around and running away from him.

Faking to be surprised he turned his head towards Meredith "hum.. Hello Meredith.." He said with a smooth voice. Again, he didn't really get the reaction he expected.

"Please DON'T !" she scoffed and she left him too, running after Cristina.

_"Oh come on ! It's been seven years..." _Burke thought as he made his way through the hospital like he was home looking for someone who might be willing to talk to him.

* * *

Cristina entered the first on call room she found, sat on a bed, put her head in her hands a started to cry. She was crying because she was angry, not because she was sad or something, just because she was still mad at him... _"Why is he here ?"_ She thought, _"Why him ? It's been seven years and I didn't think that I would have to face him again... I still don't want to have to deal with him... So why the hell is he here ?... Wait.. He said that he had to talk to Dr Hunt, does Owen know about this ? How could he do this to me ?" _She was deep in thoughts when Meredith suddenly opened the door.

"There you are ! I've been looki-... Cristina are you ok ? You're shaking !" Meredith asked, concerned about Cristina.

"Yes.. I think I'm ok... No wait, I'm not... I'm not ok Mer, could you please go and find Owen, please tell him I need him, I need Owen !" She started to cry again.

Meredith ran out of the room and headed to the OR 2, where Owen was still operating. She sat in the gallery for about 15 minutes, then she saw that Owen was going to scrub out while Kepner was closing the patient up. Meredith went downstairs to talk to Owen while he was alone.

"Dr Hunt ?.. Can I talk to you for a second ?" She asked

"Make it quick Grey, I've a meeting in five minutes, so what is it ?"

"Owen... It's about Cristina..." She started but Owen interrupted her as he began to panic

"What ?! Is she hurt ? What Meredith ? What happened ?!"

"No no she is fine, physically... but... She needs you, right now... I can't tell you why but she needs you, she is crying and she is asking for you, so go ! She is in the on call room, third floor, cardio wing on the right, hurry up !" She said it very quickly as Owen started to run.

* * *

When he arrived in the on call room, Cristina wasn't there anymore. It took him only five seconds to think that she might be in "The vent !" He whispered, and he started to run again.

Two minutes later, he threw the door wide open, breathless, and he saw her, siting on the floor, arms around her knees, crying and rocking herself back and forth. Owen crouched in front of her, put one of his hand on hers and stroked her hair with the other one.

"What is it Cristina ? What happened ?" He asked softly. She lifted her head and looked at him with her swollen and reddish eyes, tears running down her cheeks. This picture of Cristina literally broke his heart, he hated to see her suffering like that, and the fact that he didn't know why she was so upset was killing him. He cupped her face in his hand and tried to wipe away her tears.

"Honey please talk to me... Tell me..." He begged

"How could you hide this to me ?" She said in a hoarse whisper.

Owen was taken aback "What ? Hide what ? What are you talking about ?" He said confused.

"Bu... Burke..."

"Wait.. Burke ? Like.. Preston Burke ?" He asked with a quizzical look.

She pushed his hands away from her face and got up still staring at him. "Yes yes Preston Burke... Owen why didn't you tell me ? He said to Richard earlier that he was going to wait for you because he had to talk to you so you knew he was coming right ? How could you do this ?" She sobbed

Owen was completely lost. He didn't understand a word of what she was saying, she was hurt, she was accusing him of something he didn't do, he was hurt too but he had never seen Cristina in such a state and the only thing that he wanted to do right now, was to comfort her. He took a step forward and threw his arms around her, pulling her closer. She tried to push him away but he tightened his embrace.

"Cristina, I am telling you that I don't know what you are talking about...Why would I do this ?.. Like you said, how could I do this to you ? How could you even think that I would be able to do this to you ? I definitely won't be able to that ! So please trust me, I didn't know that Burke was coming..." As he was talking, he felt that Cristina had started to relax, she wasn't struggling anymore. She rested her head against his chest and he began to stroke her hair to help her to cool off. They rocked for a while and eventually, Cristina has stopped crying. Owen kissed her on the top of her head and asked softly "Do you trust me ?"

She said nothing but he felt her nodding against him as she wrapped her arms around his waist. After a while, she pulled her head back and looked at him straight in the yes "Owen I'm sorry..." She said. He leaned his forehead against hers and they step aside a little so as to be on the vent. As a gust gushed from the grid, Owen bent his head to kiss her.

"It's gonna be ok, you're gonna be fine, I'm here.."

"But Owen ? Why is he here ? Why would he want to talk to you ?" She asked weakly.

"I don't know... Wait... Maybe... Oh dear..." He mumbled

"Owen what ?"

"Listen, three days ago, I've got a call from a certain Dr Weiss, he said that he was the director of cardiothoracic surgery in a hospital in Switzerland, I think it was Zurich, and he said he was going to visit Seattle and he wanted to meet me, like I'm the chief you know, to talk about your research, so we agreed on a meeting... Today... Now actually.. He probably is waiting for me right now, but the point is that I doubt that his real name is Weiss don't you think ?"

"Wait, you think that Weiss is Burke ?"

"Yes, it all fits !"

"Ok so he lied on his identity because of me, but why would he like to talk to YOU about ME ?" She asked puzzled.

"That, I don't know... Listen Cristina, I.. I think you should talk to him. I know you don't want to, and I understand why, I know why but still, I think you really should talk to him. Its been seven years and I think it's time for you to pass this matter, so we can get on with our life... Deep down, I know that he still owns a piece of you. Something that he took when he left you and you need that something back... you need it for far too long... Don't you think I'm right ?"

She had let him say whatever he wanted to say without interrupting him. He was right. He was so right and she knew it, he was always right... She nodded and they left the room.

* * *

They were climbing the stairs and when they reached the second floor she put her hand in his. Owen was surprised because they were in public and she didn't want people to know about them yet, but maybe it was time too and he was glad that she made the first step. He smiled at her, interlocked their fingers and they made their way towards the conference room. When Cristina saw him in the room, she felt her heart beating faster and faster, she grabbed Owen's lab coat sleeve and said

"Owen I can't.. All I want to do when I look at him is to punch him in the face and yell at him..."

"Then do it ! And if you need me, I'll be right behind you ! Do whatever you think you need to do !" He chuckled

"Owen it's not funny..."

"I know... I know it's not... Do you want me to stay with you ?" He asked

"Of course not ! That would be so awkward.. No, I need to do this alone.."

"Ok..." He said. Then he grabbed her chin and lifted her head up so he could kiss her. He did that to comfort her of course, but he did that mainly because Preston Burke was watching them from the conference room and he wanted to clarify the situation. He wanted to take the lead by marking his territory. Not that he felt threatened by Burke, far from it, but he thought that in a way, it would protect Cristina.

"Ok so let me introduce you to Dr Weiss.." He said with a smirk on his face and he led her into the conference room.

* * *

Burke, who had witnessed the entire scene, wasn't really felling comfortable when they entered the room but he had that stone face that gave nothing away.

"Dr Hunt I presume ?" He said, greeting Owen by offering his hand to shake that he took and shook firmly.

"Yes I am, and you must be Dr Weiss right ? I'm so sorry sir, I'm late, I was in surgery and it took me longer than it should and...I'm not gonna be able to stay with you any longer since they absolutely need me in the ER.. You know, Trauma... Anyway, you didn't came for nothing because Dr Yang here, agreed to talk to you about her work in person, and I'm pretty sure that you two have a bunch of things to talk about ! I gotta go now and again, I'm sorry Dr Weiss..."

Cristina was slightly amused by Owen's speech, she watched him leaving the room and saw him winked at her before he closed the door. She leaned against the wall as far as possible from where Burke was standing. They stared at each other for a while, none of them wanted to talk first which really annoyed Cristina so she broke the silence.

"Well, you wanted to talk, I'm here... So talk.."

"Hum... I think 'congratulations' are in order !" He said

"Wha.. What ?" She asked raising an eyebrow

"For your Harper Avery Cristina !"

"Oh that, yes.. Thank you.." She said very casually like she didn't care.

Burke started to walk around the room then paused "So.. You and Dr Hunt you..."

"Yes we are" she interrupted him

"Does he.. Does he know about me ?" He asked hesitantly "I mean that I'm Burke not Weiss ?"

"Of course he knows !.. Do you think that he is an idiot ?!" She told him coldly

"So I guess I made a fool of myself with that story.." He chuckled, but he saw that she didn't.

"Why did you lie ? On your name.. Why did you do that ?" She asked

"Well... I wanted to meet you, again... I knew you were still working here so I called. I was expecting to talk to Richard but it turned out that it was Dr Hunt. With Richard, I would have asked him to not tell you a thing about my visit but since I didn't know Hunt I made up with that story... I know it was stupid but I thought that you probably wouldn't agree if you knew it was me... given the circumstances of our last interaction..." He said sheepishly

"Oh oh you mean, me in a white dress and you running away.." She mocked

"Cristina..." Burke started

"Why are you here ?" She interrupted him once again

"I... I wanted to talk to you about your research, about your work."

"Wait, you're telling me that you flight from Zurich to Seattle, to.. Talk ?" She asked doubtful

"Yes, and no... It's a little bit more than that actually... Listen, three years ago, I was in Paris, I was working on a new surgical technique with three other big doctors, when I met Dr Altman..."

Cristina perked up immediately when she heard Teddy's name.

"We've become friends over the past few years, she is good, she is a really great surgeon. We've talked about you, a lot, she told me that you were the best resident she had ever met in her life, and she was sure that you were going to do great things. Obviously she was right, we weren't surprised when we heard about your Harper Avery." He paused and looked at her to gauge her reaction but he didn't have the ability to interpret her face and her gaze anymore. All that he could say that it seemed that she had relaxed when he mentioned Teddy but that was all.

He took a deep breath, because what he had to say next wasn't really easy to say and he was absolutely sure that it will be tough for her to hear that too. But he had no choice, he had to do this for Teddy.

He cleared is throat before he added "The point is that we are running a clinic together.. Two clinics actually. She stayed in Paris and I moved to Zurich because of... My wife.. She wanted to be closer to her family so we left Paris and I extended the clinic in Zurich. Anyway, Teddy is really interested in what you're doing and she told me one day, that she would like to work with you again... So... hum... I'm here to offer you a job in our clinic...If you want to, of course.."

Cristina was totally stunned. _"How dare he ? After what he did to me, how dare he offering me a job in his hospital ?_" She thought. She stared at him straight in the eyes but said nothing.

Burke who was observing her carefully, thought that maybe she was thinking about it but her mutism surprised him a little bit. He took that opportunity to pursue his approach anyway.

"Think about it Cristina, what's next for you here ? I mean, what can you do with your potential in _this_ hospital ? How many printers have you at your disposition here ? 3 ? Maybe 4 ? Do you know what you want to do next by the way ? Listen, no matter what you decide to do about your career, I can assure you that you will be able to do whatever you want to over there ! We can offer you whatever you want, you just have to ask. Your wage, your schedule, anything ! Oh, and what about the fact that we have around fifty 3D printers which are waiting for you..." He said enthusiastically.

Cristina's blood was boiling in her veins, she could feel it, "_What is he doing ? Does he think that he can bribe me with a good pay and a bunch of printers ? Is he that stupid ?" _She thought as she started to walk around the room to try to calm her down.

His eyes was following her but he was lost. He didn't understand her behavior. "_Why is she so quiet ?_" He thought. "Come on Cristina... Talk to me please... All you have to do is say "yes".." He said softly.

This time, Cristina stopped, scratch that, she froze... "_Those words, those were Owen's words, how could he-.." _She turned around to face him with that cold look on her face, "How dare you ?!" She yelled at him.

"I beg your pard-..?"

"Ok enough ! ENOUGH !" She cut him off. "You think I want to work for _you_ again ?" She asked, her eyes filling up with tears. "You wrecked me Preston... You know, when you won your Harper Avery, you never mentioned me..not once... but I would like to remind you that you would never have won it without me... I've fixed you, I've helped you up, I was there for you... You took something from me.. You took little pieces of me, you wanted me to be something I wasn't and I made myself into what you wanted ! One day I was me Cristina Yang and then suddenly I was lying for you and jeopardizing my career and I agreed to be married, wearing a ring and being a bride.. Until I was standing there, in a wedding dress with no eyebrows and I wasn't Cristina Yang anymore.. But I would have marry you.. I would have.. I lost myself for a long time and now that I'm finally me again, I can say that the best thing that ever happened to me, is you walking away from our wedding, it made me stand on my own two feet, I'm better for it and you are better for it ! You don't know me anymore. I see your life has moved on, and that's nice, I'm happy for you but I want you to know mine has too !" She said half crying, half screaming. "So take no as an answer, I don't want the job !"

Burke had let her speak, he knew he owed her that. It was tough to hear that but he also knew she was right. He looked at her and saw she was shaking with anger, he didn't know what to do next.

"Are you done ?" He asked

"NO !" She answered, yelling as she quickly moved forward him and then she slapped him in the face with all her strength. She look at him straight in the eyes and said coldly "Now I am !"

Burke didn't expected that. He rubbed his cheek and grabbed Cristina's wrist as she was about to running out of the room. He had to tell her the truth, she couldn't miss that opportunity. "Cristina wait !" He said tightening his grip on her wrist so she couldn't help but listen to him. "What if,.. What if I tell you that you wouldn't have to work _for me_ or even work _with me_ ?" He said softly.

Cristina turned around to face him again, ready to listen to him.

"I'm... I'm leaving... I'm retiring... I have two beautiful daughters that I haven't seen grow and it makes me sad more than anything else in the world. They are my world, I love them, and I love my wife. She made a lot of sacrifices for me, and I think it's my turn to do the same, it will save my marriage. So I'm closing the clinic in Zurich, but Teddy doesn't know it yet, and that's why I'm here. I want you to take _over me,_ I want you to _be_ _me_. You know, you right, I don't know you... But I know that you've become a magnificent surgeon.. You've become everything that I dreamed you would be. So that's why I'm offering you this. Teddy is one of my best friend and I want the best for her and... You are the best Cristina... So please ! Please, I'm begging you, you should consider it, you should be in a place like our clinic..."

Cristina was staring at the floor, unable to look at him or to speak. Burke put one hand on her shoulder and lifted her chin with the other one to make her look at him.

"I.. I'm sorry.." He whispered.

Cristina felt her eyes filling up with tears again but this time she tried to hold them back. She looked at him, but she wasn't resentful anymore, she was no longer upset or mad at him, she was peaceful. Maybe that was what she needed to hear, that he was _sorry_. And maybe she needed to tell him that she was too so they would be quits.

"I am sorry too.." she said, her tears now running down her cheeks. He pulled her against him and locked his arms around her and let her cry. In fact, he was crying too. They stayed in each other's arms for a while, before he pushed her back.

"I am going to leave now, please think about what I said and let me know as soon as you made your choice, and I know you will make the right one." He said smiling. He wiped her tears away, put down a kiss on her forehead and left the room. "Bye Cristina, take care of yourself." He said before closing the door behind him.


End file.
